Toothpaste
by poke-a-spark
Summary: Princess Bubblegum comes into contact with an allergen; Marceline hovers and worries. Bubbline. Fluff.


**Toothpaste**

**Summary:**** Princess Bubblegum comes into contact with an allergen; Marceline hovers and worries. Bubbline. Fluff.**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Adventure Time or anything associated with it. I am not making a profit off of this story. I am just a poor university attendee who is addicted to the show.**

_**A/N: I've decided that I find the Marceline/Bubblegum pairing adorable, and so I couldn't help but write this. It was supposed to be a oneshot, but the words ran out of control and so now it will be a three-chaptered story. Chapters one and two will be set directly before the fifth season episode Bad Little Boy, with chapter three taking place directly after. Beware of copious amounts of fluff and encroaching humor.**_

**O0o0o0o0o0o0O**

Princess Bubblegum hummed tiredly as she sank into the plush chair before her desk, her limbs gratefully going limp; her day had been more than exhausting, having spent the majority of it dealing with both Lemongrabs and their newest boneheaded scheme to take over her kingdom. After sending Finn and Jake to – non-lethally - take care of her wayward creations, she had spent the whole morning and a good deal of the afternoon devising a plan to clean up their mess, only to spend the rest of the day and evening carrying it out. Finally alone in her room and fresh out of a long hot shower, she was more than ready for a few hours to herself before having to face whatever craziness her kingdom would undoubtedly be subjected to come daylight.

Eyes lazily searching the desk for her brush, she reached up and began pulling her tiara off of her head only to give a slight start as the object in question was slipped from her hold. Her humming catching in her throat in surprise, Bubblegum's lidded eyes shot to the mirror in front of her as she tensed slightly before quickly settling down once more as she watched as the gleaming golden tiara seemingly floated off of her head of its own accord. So completely sure of the identity of her visitor was she, that Bubblegum didn't even bother watching as a grey hand set the headwear atop her desk, instead letting her eyes finally slip shut as a pair of nimble hands began to gently run through her still-damp tresses.

"You look tired." A familiar voice rumbled from behind Bubblegum's ear, the low sound eliciting a light shiver from the pink monarch.

"Mmm," Bubblegum hummed absently as she leaned back towards the source of the voice, a small satisfied noise escaping her throat as she made contact with a soft chest.

"Hey," Marceline chided playfully, floating back just far enough so that Bubblegum couldn't lean on her yet she could still run her hands soothingly through the soft pink hair. "You're getting me wet."

"Oh?" Bubblegum mused, a sly tone nearly overshadowing the tiredness in her words. "Is that so?"

"Why _Bonnibel Bubblegum_!" Marceline gasped dramatically as she pulled playfully on a lock of hair, her eyes glittering as a fang poked unseeingly from between her grinning lips. "How utterly _distasteful_ of you!"

Bubblegum couldn't help but allow a small smile to curl the edges of her lips as she leant her head back once more, her eyes slowly opening and becoming lost in the playfully dancing ruby orbs hanging overhead. Smile growing larger as a cool nose bumped playfully into hers, she accepted the sloppy yet soft upside-down kiss with a delighted murmur. Blinking slowly as the kiss came to an end after a few short moments, Bubblegum sighed and stared smilingly up at her vampire. It was only a few minutes later, as she registered the amused yet indulgent smile the older woman was gazing at her with, did Bubblegum break from her reverie.

"I'm tired," Bubblegum acknowledged sheepishly, a darker shade of pink subtly spreading across her already rosy cheeks.

"I can see that," Marceline teased gently as she reached forward and picked up one of the brushes laying atop the desk. Raising her hand, she began to run the brush down the soft locks in long soothing strokes, garnering another pleased sound from her princess for her efforts. Following each brushstroke by running her fingers through the smooth pink strands, she absently wondered how the younger girl's bubble-gum hair could be sticky and clumpy one moment, and yet run through her fingers like the finest silk the next. After a few silent moments of thought, the vampire queen shrugged lightly to herself and decided to chalk it up to one of the many _'wonders of science'_ the pink girl was so often passionately raving about.

"I didn't think you'd be here tonight." Bubblegum murmured a she slumped even further into her chair, the slow and methodical ministrations doing more to soothe her than the hour long shower she took earlier ever could have.

"I can leave, if you'd prefer?" Marceline rose a dark brow – not that the pink princess could even see the action due to her lack of reflection – and paused the brush mid-stroke.

"_No_." The word was spoken so vehemently that even Bubblegum was taken aback. Blinking as she realized that it was her own voice that spoke, Bubblegum averted her eyes down and to the side as an embarrassed blush seeped across her face for the second time in as many minutes. Feeling a damp and cool hand brush lightly against her cheek, the princess reluctantly raised her eyes and met the understanding ones of her girlfriend.

Chest warming slightly at the admission of wanting her company and yet not wanting to further the younger girl's embarrassment, Marceline gave Bubblegum an understanding smile as the princess smiled shyly back. It was a nice change of pace, she thought, since it was usually she who had problems with blurting out her emotions, and the princess who calmly reassured her that it was alright to speak her mind. Floating back behind the seated monarch, she continued brushing the long hair before her and tactfully changed the subject.

"What happened today? I haven't seen you this tired in a while." Marceline carefully worked through a previously hidden tangle with her fingers before smoothing it out with the soft bristled brush, her candid voice taking on a mischievous tone. "Well, I mean, besides last night. Happy-tired doesn't count, though."

"_Marceline_." Bubblegum scolded in a half-hearted mumble, her cheeks darkening once more; she was beginning to think that the vampire took altogether too much pleasure in making her blush. "Now who's being distasteful."

"Aw, you know you love it Bub-Bubs," Marceline flashed another unseen fanged grin in amusement at the expected response; if she had a strawberry for every time she heard that word, she'd have a life supply of red – a real feat in and of itself, being immortal and all. "Really though, Bonnie; how was your day?"

Hearing the undercurrent of sincerity in the vampire's otherwise playful voice, Bubblegum sighed and began to recount her day. "Well, the Lemongrabs tried to make another grab for the Candy Kingdom-"

"I don't know why you put up with them," Marceline interrupted with furrowed brows, before muttering under her breath. "Or even made more than one."

"Marcy, I created them," Bubblegum barely held in a groan at the familiar question. About to spout off the rote answer she had memorized word for word after the hundredth time she was asked, she instead received a spark of inspiration as she spied the rock shirt she wore in the mirror's reflection, the incident with the Door Lord coming to mind. Twisting around slightly, she looked up and locked eyes with her frowning vampire. "Sure, they may not be perfect, but then nobody really is. What kind of person would I be if I demanded perfection in order for them to gain my acceptance?"

It took only a moment for Marceline to make the connection, and this time it was her turn to avert her gaze.

"Marceline…" Bubblegum smiled softly as she watched the vampire shift uncomfortably from side to side – quite the sight to see as her feet never actually touched the ground.

"I thought I recognized my song…" Marceline spoke with forced nonchalance as she suddenly returned to her previous task with a seemingly single-minded intent.

"Your song…?" Bubblegum replied in confusion before her mind flashed back to the song she had been humming off and on for the past few hours, finally placing the familiar tune. "Oh! Was I really…?"

"Mhmm."

"Oh." Bubblegum blinked before smiling into the mirror, her gaze locked on to the spot above her head where she imagined Marceline to be. "I like the song."

"Seriously Bon?" A half-chuckle erupted from within Marceline's chest as she shook her head in disbelief. "Should I be worried?"

"What? Why would you be worried?" Bubblegum tilted her head slightly in confusion only for Marceline to tut and push it back upright so as to continue her self-appointed task unhindered.

"_Seriously_?" Marceline shook her head, the discomfort she felt at the topic masked by the exasperation she let leak into her voice. "Bonnie - that was an angst-ridden post break-up song I wrote after stuffing my face with as much red as I could get my hands on. The fact that you've been humming it since before I got here isn't really filling me up with the warm fuzzies, y'know?"

Bubblegum's mouth formed a silent 'oh' of understanding before she completely ignored the light protests and insistently swivelled around in her chair once more, her eyes meeting her girlfriend's with focused intent. "Do you love me?"

"I-I-_What_?" Marceline reeled back and fell a few inches in shock, her pale cheeks darkening as she stared wide-eyed at Bubblegum's serious face.

"Do you love me?" Bubblegum repeated clearly, her expression calm yet intense.

"O-of course I do," Marceline's voice lowered to a near whisper as she spoke, her shock turning into a sort of lost confusion; she didn't understand why Bubblegum would even ask such a thing. "You know I love you, Bonnibel."

"I know." Bubblegum closed her eyes for a moment and smiled beatifically as she savored the words before gazing into confused rubies once more. "I love you too."

"Then why…?"

Bubblegum's eyes softened as the big bad vampire in front of her looked at her with an expression more befitting a lost puppy. "I like the song because I was being a patoot. I like the song because I needed a kick in the butt. Mostly, however, I like the song because now I can ask that question anytime I want and be assured of the answer."

Marceline opened and closed her mouth, the usual smooth eloquence that came with being a lyricist fleeing her in the face of Bubblegum's confession. Inhaling an unneeded breath, she did the only thing her stunned mind could think of; swooping down, Marceline captured her love's lips in a firm kiss, a light growl vibrating in her chest at the muffled sound of surprised pleasure that escaped Bubblegum at her sudden actions.

Bubblegum welcomed the unexpected kiss wholeheartedly, accepting the action for what it was and responding in kind. Hands gravitating upward, she buried them in Marceline's thick silky raven hair, her fingers gently scraping at the vampire's scalp and eliciting a light purr from the queen. Shivering at the sound, Bubblegum unconsciously attempted to pull Marceline closer – she was unsure as to exactly why, but she absolutely could not get enough of making the other woman literally purr from her actions.

Marceline reluctantly pulled back after a few more long moments – all too aware of her princess's need to breathe. Nearly changing her mind as Bubblegum let out a breathless whimper at the loss of contact, Marceline gazed intensely into dazed violet orbs with darkened crimson ones as she swallowed thickly. Slowly attempting to put some space between the two of them – for somehow during their kiss she had ended up practically straddling the princess – she found herself stopped by a pair of pale pink hands fisted tightly around her jacket. Giving into temptation, she darted forward to steal one more quick kiss before slipping out of the younger monarch's loosened grasp.

"Marcy," Bubblegum whined lightly in disappointment, her searching hands meeting nothing but air as the vampire swiftly eluded her grasp.

"…I'm not done brushing your hair." Marceline's voice, when she finally spoke, was low and gravely.

Bubblegum's breath hitched at the sound. If there was one thing that she would never get tired of, it was Marceline's voice. She absolutely _loved_ each and every sound that escaped her lover's mouth - though she did admittedly have a few favorites.

"My hair is fine," Bubblegum mumbled as she attempted to snag the floating vampire's jacket once more, only to have her own hands trapped instead.

"You'll complain in the morning if it's not brushed right." Marceline caressed the hands she held captive lightly with her thumbs before gently setting them in Bubblegum's lap. Turning the chair until it faced the mirror once again, she picked up the brush she had dropped during their kiss.

"I'm complaining now," Bubblegum muttered with a slight pout as she blew a lock of hair out of her eyes. Despite her protests, however, she couldn't help but relax once more as the brush slowly swept through her long hair.

"Finish telling me about your day," Marceline prompted. "Promise I won't interrupt this time."

"Oh, alright," Bubblegum sighed, her pout turning into a small frown as she allowed her mind to once again drift towards her tiresome day. "As I said, the Lemongrabs tried to take over my kingdom again."

Waiting a few beats to see if Marceline was going to comment, Bubblegum continued her tale in light satisfaction as the vampire continued her task in silence. "Since invading and subterfuge hasn't really worked for them, they decided to go big this time with explosives."

"Explosives?" Marceline wrinkled her nose slightly. "Regular, run-of-the-mill explosives? Huh. Didn't think that was their style, but at least they were duds, right? I mean, from what I saw when I flew in, the kingdom _isn't_ a giant pile of rubble."

"Ugh. If only." One of Bubblegum's hands rose to rub at her forehead, an echo of her earlier headache making itself briefly known. "No; I have no idea where they found it, but these were stuffed with disgusting pre-war toothpaste – you know, the gross minty kind. It took me all day to-"

Bubblegum broke off midsentence as her hand was lowered and replaced by a set of cooler ones. The grey hands gently yet frantically ran along her cheeks, moved her fringe to cup her forehead, and then proceeded to flit down her neck. "Marceline?"

Marceline, so focused on her task, ignored the questioning words and instead moved her hands even lower. Slipping them underneath the hem of the black rocker shirt Bubblegum still wore as pajamas, she slid her hands delicately over a soft yet lightly toned stomach, eliciting a surprised squeak from the princess now facing her.

"_Marceline_!" Bubblegum's cheeks glowed hotly, the muscles in her abdomen convulsing slightly at the light touch ghosting over them. Reaching down with one hand she attempted to tug her shirt back down, while the other hand futilely worked at removing the much stronger woman's hands from her skin. "What are you doing?"

"Bon, you're _allergic_ to pre-war toothpaste – like, deathly allergic. Glob, your whole _kingdom_ is allergic to the stuff." Marceline took a moment to send the young monarch a look before returning to her inspection. Spotting a patch of irritated-looking skin, the vampire insistently pushed the shirt up higher to get a better look.

"Marcy! I'm fine- really!" Bubblegum's protests fell on deaf ears as the vampire proceeded to jerk her shirt higher, causing the pink monarch to exasperatedly cross her arms tightly beneath her breasts in order to stop her shirt from being removed completely.

"This doesn't look '_fine'_ to me," Marceline suddenly accused as she carefully circled the inflamed area with her finger, her troubled eyes seeking out Bubblegum's self-conscious ones.

"You're right," Bubblegum retorted. "It looks like the normal reaction that occurs when the epidermis encounters an allergen." Taking note that her words did nothing to smooth out her queen's frown and furrowed brows, Bubblegum bit her lip. Quickly weighing the pros and cons, Bubblegum swiftly lowered one hand – the other still firmly holding her shirt in place – and threaded her fingers through the grey one brushing against her skin.

"I'm fine, Marcy." Gazing into the vampire's worried eyes, Bubblegum gently squeezed the hand held in her grasp as she infused her tone with as much sincerity as she could muster. "Really - with some rest and another application of the ointment I concocted, I should be good as new."

Marceline visibly wavered in indecision before finally allowing the pink hands to remove her own. Still not completely appeased, the vampire slipped her hands out from between Bubblegum's and reached forward to pluck the princess out of her chair, eliciting a small gasp of surprise. Gathering the precious bundle in her arms, she floated backwards with the princess held tightly against her chest.

"I thought you had to finish brushing my hair so I wouldn't complain?" Bubblegum gave a token resistance, not able to resist fully when she was so enjoying her current position.

"You'd just find something else to complain about," Marceline muttered absently, ignoring the light huff as her mind was preoccupied with streamlining the pink monarch's recovery. Righting herself in the air, Marceline shifted Bubblegum into the crook of one arm and reached down with the other to turn down the bed sheets. About to lie down, she was interrupted by a slightly muffled voice speaking into her neck.

"Your jacket," Bubblegum reminded her vampire in a mumble, not caring that she was effectively proving the queen's statement correct. "And your boots."

Rolling her eyes, Marceline reluctantly set the candy princess down on the edge of the bed with a light sound of annoyance. Shrugging out of her jacket and kicking off her boots, Marceline began to move forward only to halt. Aware of the eyes on her, she unzipped her jeans and shimmied out of the tight material before yanking her sweater over her head. Dropping the items haphazardly onto the floor, the centuries old vampire picked up the princess once again and repeated her earlier actions, now clad only in a tank-top and panties.

Bubblegum sighed in contentment as she sunk into the plush bed, the arms around her leaving briefly to pull the blankets up to their shoulders before snaking around her once more. Feeling the vampire pull her closer, the princess snuggled further into the cool embrace, her bare legs tangling with her partner's slightly longer ones. Nestling her head into Marceline's neck, she felt a small smile curl her lips as the older girl burrowed her face in her pink hair and inhaled deeply, an inaudible purr rumbling through her chest afterwards.

"You used my shampoo?" Marceline mumbled as she nuzzled the slightly damp locks, each motion sending up a whiff of scent and tickling her senses; she could most strongly smell her own scent on the princess, but beneath that she could also faintly make out the younger girl's own sugary sweetness.

"Mhmm. I didn't think you'd be here tonight." Remembering the vampire's stutteringly awkward admission about her instincts going nuts when the princess was covered in her scent, Bubblegum's smile widened as the pleased purring increased enough to become faintly audible. "Being cradled in your scent helps me sleep, you know- that's why I was so happy when you gave me another of your shirts."

Feeling the vampire curl more snuggly around her with a few unintelligible murmurs, Bubble sighed lightly in pleased amusement. "You're extra cuddly tonight."

"I don't like it when you get hurt," Marceline mumbled in a displeased pout, her purring stopping abruptly before slowly starting back up as she felt a few feather light kisses brush against her sensitive neck. "Especially since you won't let me kill the ones who hurt you."

Indulgently allowing the clingy arms to slip slightly beneath her shirt to clutch at bare skin, Bubblegum muffled a tired yawn into the dip of Marceline's collarbone as she attempted to assure her vampire once more, her words becoming less clear the longer she spoke. "I'm fine, Marcy. This time tomorrow and I'll be as good as new – you'll see."

"I'll make sure of it," Marceline spoke quietly a few minutes later as she both heard and felt Bubblegum's breathing even out and deepen, the amount of comfort and security she felt from being wrapped in the vampire's embrace too much for the exhausted princess to fight off any longer. Ghosting a kiss over the crown of Bubblegum's head, Marceline sighed and allowed her limbs to relax – though she wasn't even a little tired, there was no force in this dimension or the next that would be able to forcefully move her from her current position, and so the vampire queen held the princess close to her chest as her love caught up on some much needed sleep.

**O0o0o0o0o0o0O**


End file.
